Persephone (The Lily Harper Series Book 4)

  “And what about my two prisoners?” I had to ask the one question that kept plaguing me since my arrival here. I turned on my heel to face him. “What has become of them?”

  “They are being held in the tower, my queen,” Saxon informed me while clasping his hands together.

  “Take me to them.”

  “Are you sure, my queen?” Saxon responded with a quick shake of his head. “The tower is hardly the proper location to receive a … lady.”

  “Do not argue with me, Saxon,” I chided as I walked past him. Realizing I didn’t know which direction the tower was, I added, “And do not make me repeat myself.”

  “Of course,” he answered with a brief nod. He started toward the tower, which loomed over the western part of the citadel. I followed after him, eager to be reunited with my prisoners. Well, one in particular, anyway.

  The tower overlooked the river, Styx. In order to access it, you had to travel up three flights of stairs, but they didn’t dissuade me in the least. The truth was, I’d longed to see Tallis Black since we’d first arrived in Alcazar. There was something about him that called to me … something I wanted, and needed.

  It took us no more than ten minutes to reach the top of the stairs inside the tower. When we did, Saxon led me down a wide hallway, constructed entirely of stone. The arched ceiling looked about forty feet tall. Supporting the ceiling were gigantic pillars, all boasting a scrolling serif design in gold leaf paint. Atop the pillars were detailed faces of strange creatures I didn’t recognize. I figured they must’ve been mythological beasts. They, too, were painted in gold. Flanking either side of the hallway was running water.

  “Where does this water go?” I asked Saxon. I didn’t fail to catch my reflection in the rippling water and had to admire my black tresses that matched the blackness of my eyes.

  He glanced down at the water with a shrug. “It’s the river, Styx. It drops off the cliff, flowing back into itself at the base of this mountain.”

  I nodded, content with his explanation, and continued forward. I was careful not to trip over the crevices in the stones underfoot. The hallway led us to a large iron door for which Saxon produced the key from his pocket. Once he opened the door, I saw a very dark room, which was dimly lit by a handful of lanterns that hung in random locations, an anemic flame burning in each one. The room was rectangular and had steel-barred cells on each side. The embellished arched ceiling was held up by stone pillars. But these columns were slightly different from those in the hallway; they weren’t covered in gold leaf paint. Instead, they depicted large stone snakes wrapping around each one, imbuing the room with a menacing feel.

  “I’m only interested in visiting the bladesmith,” I informed Saxon as soon as we reached the middle of the room.

  Saxon nodded, taking a few steps before turning to his right toward a prison cell, which he faced squarely. I strode up next to him and glanced inside, immediately recognizing Tallis Black. He was attached to the wall by chains on his hands and feet, but they were long enough to allow him to sit.

  “Where is the key to his cell?” I asked.

  Saxon faced me with a frown. “My queen,” he started.

  “Don’t make me repeat myself,” I said between clenched teeth. I held my hand out, palm facing up. Saxon didn’t respond. He simply dropped the key he’d used to open the iron door into my hand. I closed my fingers around it and nodded to him. “You may leave now,” I finished.

  “I fear that is not a good idea,” he started to argue with me.

  “Then wait outside of the door, if you must,” I ordered. Holding my chin in the air, I glared daggers at him. “I wish to speak to my prisoner alone.”

  Saxon just stood there briefly before reaching inside his pocket and producing a small blade. He handed it to me. “You might need this,” he offered.

  “Whatever for? He’s chained to the wall,” I exclaimed. Shaking my head, I accepted the blade anyway. Saxon simply nodded wearily before leaving the room and closing the large, iron door behind him. I breathed a sigh of relief once he was finally out of my sight. Then I turned to face my prisoner. Pushing the key into the lock, I opened the cell door.

  “When thou shalt be before the radiance sweet of her whose beauteous eyes all things behold, from her thou’lt know the journey of thy life.”

  - Dante’s Inferno

  TWENTY-FIVE

  Tallis Black glanced up at me when I entered his cell, but gave me no greeting. Eyeing me forlornly for a moment, he dropped his attention down to the cold stone ground below him. I pushed the blade Saxon gave me into my cleavage before closing the cell door behind me. Then I strode up to my prisoner. I didn’t appreciate this more melancholic, disinterested side of him. On the contrary, I expected and wanted him to greet me with ugly epithets and a livid tongue.

  “Why do you and your companion feign an acquaintance with me, and yet, I do not recognize either of you?” I demanded. I stood in front of him with my legs shoulder-width apart and my hands on my hips.

  He didn’t respond so I kicked his foot, hoping to get a reply from him. But when that failed, I approached the middle of his body and bent down until we were at eye level. I couldn’t resist the impulse to touch him and ran my index finger down the side of his face, tracing a large scar that bisected his cheek. At my touch, he immediately pulled away and refused to look at me.

  “How dare you not respond to your queen!” I exclaimed. “Look at me when I address you!”

  “Ye arenae mah queen,” he spat the words at me, keeping his head down, and refusing to acknowledge me with his eyes.

  My growing anger exploded inside me and I reached for his face, holding each side of his head firmly between my hands. I forced his head upright so that his face was across from mine and kept it there, not allowing him to move. He responded by glaring at me with intense, raw rage in his eyes.

  I snickered, enjoying this rebellious side of him. It actually thrilled me to my very core. “Answer my question—why do you pretend to know me?”

  “Whit is the point?” he fired back. His burning eyes appeared midnight blue in the very low light supplied by the burning torch on the wall beside us. “Ye are sullied now. Ye cannae find ah way back tae yerself.”

  “What do you mean by that?” I demanded. I was honestly taken aback by his words. I shook my head and tried to convince myself it was just the musings from someone I shouldn’t trust, someone who wanted something from me …

  “Ye are polluted, ye have been contaminated, nae … poisoned,” he continued as he glanced up at the crown that rested atop my head. “Alaire has won.”

  “Alaire?” I repeated the foreign name and shook my head again, this time to let him know I wasn’t following him. “Who is Alaire? And how has he won? And what does he have to do with me?”

  Tallis Black sighed long and hard, dropping his gaze to the uneven ground before returning his attention to me again. There was pain in his eyes, mysterious pain that I didn’t understand. “Ah dinnae care tae explain somepin’ tae ye that will only sound like ah story, or ah fable that ye may nae even believe. The damage is done. Ah would rather rest here oan mah own than have tae be reminded o’ the truth.”

  “You do realize that if you refuse to answer my questions, I can have you whipped, or even worse?” I replied heatedly. I didn’t like the way he deliberately ignored my position as his queen and sovereign. The more I considered it, though, the more I began to believe that Tallis Black was the type of man who didn’t respect anything, other than himself. Perhaps that was the main reason I wanted to break him so badly.

  He laughed an acidic and unhappy sound as he shook his head. “Ah have already been beaten an’ whipped, lass,” he said. In the dull light, I managed to make out the fresh blood that marred his face and upper body. “Whit is more, Ah cannae be killed.”

  “You are no more than a man,” I argued, shaking my head as I narrowed my eyes. I was finding it difficult to pull them away from his perfectly sculpted pe
ctorals and shoulders. “And all men can be killed.”

  “There, ye are wrong,” he rebutted and a defiant smirk appeared on his lips. “Ah amnae boot ah man. Ah am as immortal as the night is long.”

  “Oh? Is that so?” I asked. Arching a brow at him, I felt my body flushing with the need to know him intimately. Not that I believed him about the immortal business, but his confidence knew no bounds, and that excited me.

  “Aye,” he answered with a brief nod. “’Tis sae.”

  “And what if I don’t believe you?”

  He shrugged as if he expected this line of reasoning. “Ye see the bluid oan meh,” he started as he glanced down at his chest. “Tell meh if ye spoot any fresh wounds.”

  I looked at his chest and used my fingers to guide me, palpating his pectorals before moving down to his washboard abs and, eventually, his lower stomach. Even though the blood seemed fresh, there were no open wounds to speak of.

  “Why do you not bear the wounds that shed your blood?” I asked, my eyes wide.

  He shrugged and the smirk on his lips deepened. “Ah am immortal as Ah have said, lass,” he replied with a deep breath. “As sooch, Ah can heal mahself.”

  I nodded, and the need to conquer him nearly overwhelmed me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what exactly Tallis Black possessed, but it electrified me nonetheless. He was certainly handsome, but so was Saxon, thus, I couldn’t attribute it entirely to his looks. Perhaps it was his rebellious streak, which seemed to span a mile wide. Or perhaps it was the melancholy expression and the pain I glimpsed in the depths of his eyes.

  We were both quiet as we studied one another, our eyes meeting in such a way that neither of us could break the connection. I was more than sure my eyes radiated nothing except sexual desire, yet his spoke of other emotions … deep loss and regret.

  “There is so much pain in your eyes,” I nearly whispered, restraining the urge to bring my lips to his. I knew kissing him too quickly would work against me. He wasn’t ready for such intimacy yet; it would just spook him. I needed to move slowly if I wanted this seduction to succeed, and to truly break his spirit, such as I did.

  He immediately dropped his gaze and refused to look back at me. “Mah pain is mah own,” he said, his tone of voice suddenly icy and withdrawn again.

  “Why do you despise me?” I asked. I leaned into him, inhaling the scent of his pure masculinity. I could also smell a fresh layer of sweat on him, but the natural odor didn’t offend me. If anything, it only stoked my lusty fire.

  “Ah dinnae despise ye,” he replied, bringing his attention back to my face. He studied me for a moment, and then shook his head. “Ah despise what’s become o’ ye.” Taking a deep breath, he slowly released it. “Once oopon ah time, Ah loved ye.”

  I laughed at that remark. I wasn’t sure why I found it funny, but I did. Perhaps because I couldn’t imagine this warrior loving anyone, save himself. “And you don’t love me now?”

  “Ye arenae yerself, so, nae, Ah dinnae love ye now.”

  “But you still want me?” I inquired, even though he’d given me no reason to believe such was the case. I just wanted to prove to myself that he found me sexually attractive. So far, he was the only man I’d encountered who didn’t seem to.

  “Nae, Ah dinnae want ye,” he almost spat the words at me and his eyebrows furrowed in the middle of his forehead, giving him the expression of someone frustrated, or cross.

  I threw my head back and laughed, pushing my hands together on either side of his head so he could feel my strength. The laugh died on my lips seconds later as I returned my gaze to his. Standing up, I lifted my left foot over him until I was straddling him. I sat down again, but not before looping my hands around his neck. Pulling myself against his body so that I could whisper in his ear, I said, “I bet I can make you eat those words.”

  He didn’t respond at first, but clenched his teeth as soon as I started rubbing against him, gyrating my hips against his. My breasts bounced with my efforts, and I couldn’t conceal the victorious smile on my lips once I caught him looking at them. He immediately shifted his gaze to something in the distance behind me, but the victory was already mine.

  “I can feel your manhood stirring beneath me,” I whispered as I continued to dance on him, teasing him with my body.

  “Lily,” he suddenly exclaimed, his eyes desperately searching mine. “If there’s any o’ ye left, fight this!” At hearing the foreign name, I bristled.

  “Fight what?” I asked as I gyrated on him, thrilling over his manhood as it grew harder beneath me. I could tell he was fighting his impulses. “And why does everyone insist on referring to me by that name?”

  “Because it’s yer name!” he hollered at me. “This isnae ye! Ye have become somepin’ ye would loathe! An’ ’tis all due tae that bludy crown!” he railed as his eyes settled on the crown on my head. “Ye moost fight, Lily,” he said again, this time softer.

  “I believe you are the one that needs to stop fighting, warrior,” I whispered into his ear with a little laugh.

  “Ah amnae fightin’,” he retorted, shaking his head.

  I silenced him with my index finger on his lips before “tsking” him a few times. “You are fighting. You’re fighting your body, and your true nature.” I leaned back and slowly pulled the strap of my dress off my right shoulder, followed by my left. The satin glided down my naked arms before falling off my breasts. “You want me and you hate that.”

  He was finally unable to ignore my breasts and I could feel his erection straining against his kilt beneath me. In response, the floodgates from my own body seemed to burst open. I began growing ever wetter as the need to draw him inside me filled my entire being.

  “Dinnae do this, Lily,” he whispered while clenching his eyes shut tightly. “Fight whatever power Alaire has over ye,” he said as he opened his eyes and stared at mine. “Ye are strong, lass, Ah know ye can dae this.” The tone of his voice was bordering on panic. “This is all artifice, Lily, noone oove it ’tis real!”

  I stopped listening to him because I was too thrilled by his erection beneath me. I reached down between my legs and rubbed his hard length through his kilt. He immediately tossed his head back and closed his eyes. “Even immortals can’t deny the needs of the flesh,” I whispered, suddenly valiant and victorious.

  He opened his eyes and stared at me so hard, it felt like he was looking right through me. “Alaire did this tae ye,” he said as he shook his head. He clasped my upper thigh with his mitt of a hand. It was the only motion he could make voluntarily since he was still chained to the wall. “Ye cannae allow him tae possess ye sooch that he wants tae.”

  “I don’t know any Alaire, or whatever person you keep referencing,” I argued, tired of his conversation. “And what’s more, I don’t care. All I do care about is this,” I finished. I squeezed his erection and his breath caught.

  “Lily,” he begged.

  I shook my head. “You need to stop fighting your demons,” I announced while slipping my hand from over his kilt to grasp his engorged penis. I slid my hand beneath the fabric, and as soon as I touched it, he closed his eyes and moaned. I rubbed his straining erection gently up and down, reveling in my own carnal skills.

  “Lily!” he yelled as he suddenly opened his eyes and stared right at me. “Dinnae dae this!”

  “I’m not Lily!” I replied, a wave of anger suddenly overcoming me.

  He was quiet for a few seconds as he stared at me from deep blue eyes. Then he nodded with a heartfelt sigh. “Ye are right, ye arenae Lily.”

  I didn’t respond. Instead, I released his erection and tugged at my skirt, sliding it up to my hips. I found it interesting when he didn’t bother looking at the mound of hungry flesh between my thighs. Instead, he kept his attention exclusively on my eyes. Meanwhile, I reached down and gripped his erection, holding it tightly as I positioned myself above him. I teased my opening with the head of his penis, moving it up to my clit before flicking it against
the sensitive nub.

  “Ye are mah queen,” Tallis Black suddenly announced as his eyes narrowed on mine.

  I eyed him with surprise and a slight smile. “Yes, I am.”

  “There is boot one problem,” he interjected as his breathing began to pick up once I pushed him slightly inside me.

  “Problem? And what would that be?” I demanded while rocking my hips back and forth and side to side against him, enjoying the control I held over him.

  “Ye willnae outlive meh,” he announced flatly. “Though ye might be mah queen, ye arenae immortal.”

  “So what?” I asked with a shrug. I pushed the tip of his penis inside me as he gritted his teeth and plastered his attention on my face. “There’s nothing I can do about that.”

  He shook his head before gasping while I pushed myself down on top of him, going so far as to thrust half of him inside me. His penis was so immense, I had a hard time accommodating all of it.

  “Nae so,” he admitted in a mere whisper. “Ah can give ye the gift oove immortality.”

  I paused in my ministrations to face him squarely, narrowing my eyes at him while my body begged my brain to give it a rest so I could take him inside of me—all of him. “And why would you want to do that? Just a few seconds ago, you practically detested me.”

  He cocked his head to the side and began rolling his hips underneath me, suddenly eager to join my rhythm, or so it seemed. “Ye were correct all along,” he admitted with a newfound passion burning in his eyes. “Ah wanted ye. An’ now that Ah have ye, Ah want oos tae remain good friends,” he finished.

  I smiled at him, reveling at my own conquest. “And what if I wish for us to be more than good friends?”